New Delhi, October 18, 2016: The Union Culture Ministry on Tuesday gave its go-ahead to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s cultural unit Sanskar Bharti to introduce its own ‘Nobel awards’ in the fields of Peace, Human Rights, Literature, Visual and Performing Arts, Science, Education and others.

Sources in the ministry told IANS that the ministry has given its nod to institute ‘Naimishya Samman’.

The first edition of awards on the lines of Nobel will be given in ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsava’, likely to be held in Varanasi in November.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi hug each other after reading their joint statement at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, Nov. 15, 2016. VOA

June 06, 2017: Narendra Modi is visiting the utopia of his Guruji Golwalkar, who was the second Sarsangchalak (Supreme leader) of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and also a land where the RSS dream has come to fulfillment. Golwalkar, the Hindutva leader in his book titled “We or Our Nationhood Defined” wrote:

A number of Jews, finding it difficult to live in those conditions maintaining their old religion and culture, left then-country Palestine, and came to Hindusthan—the purest stock of the children of Israel—and to this day they are inhabiting the country of the Hindus (the BeneIsraels of Bombay Presidency). Later, the engines of destruction loose under the name of Islam, completely destroyed their power and the Jews, in order to save what was most dear to them,—their religion and culture, fled from the country and scattered, all the world over naturalising themselves in various parts of the globe. Thus scattered they still live and with them live their religion, culture and language. They are still the same old Jews. With them nothing has changed except that they are exiles from their country and have no place to call their own; and they are all without exception, a rich and advanced people. But they are a people in name and are not a nation, as the whole world knows. The recent attempt at rehabilitating Palestine with its ancient population of the Jews is nothing more than an effort to reconstruct the broken edifice and revitalize the practically dead Hebrew National life.”

Zionism was the national movement of the Jewish people that was formed to promote the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland in the territory defined as the “Land of Israel”. Following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Zionism continued originally to support on behalf of Israel and to address the threats to its existence and security.

A religious nature of Zionism promotes Jews buttressing their Jewish identity defined as adherence to Judaism, opposes the adaptation of Jews into other societies, and has bolstered the return of Jews to Israel as a means for Jews to be a majority nation in their own state.

Aum is a symbol of Arya Samaj and Hindutva. Wikimedia

On the similar lines, RSS provides character training through Hindutva discipline and unites the Hindu community to form a Hindu Rashtra (Hindu Nation). RSS leaders were supportive of the Jewish State of Israel and supported Israel during its formation. Golwalkar admired Jews for preserving their “religion, culture and language”.

In Israel, RSS has found an ally and a role model who put their grand vision to success. The historical visit can also be discerned as the alliance of two ideologies, Hindutva and Zionism.

Raja Chari is an American of Indian descent chosen by NASA for the new batch of astronauts

Currently, he is a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force

Chari will have to go through two years of astronaut training which begins in August

June 06, 2017: NASA has chosen 12 astronauts out of a record-breaking 18,300 applications for upcoming space missions. An American of Indian descent, Raja Chari, has successfully earned his spot in the top 12.

The astronauts were selected on the basis of expertise, education, and physical tests. This batch of 12 astronauts is the largest group selected by NASA since two decades. The group consisting of 7 men and 5 women surpassed the minimum requirements of NASA.

Born in Waterloo, Iowa, Chari graduated from Air Force Academy in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in Astronautical Engineering and Engineering Science. He went on to complete his master’s in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The astronaut is also a graduate of US Naval Test Pilot School.

Currently, Raja Chari is a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force. He is the commander of 461st Flight Test Squadron and director of the F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

After Late Kalpana Chawla, Lt. Col. Raja Chari is the second Indian American astronaut chosen by NASA.

The 12 astronauts will have to go through two years of training. Upon completion, they will be assigned their missions ranging from research at the International Space Station, launching from American soil on spacecraft by private companies, to flying on deep space missions on NASA’s Orion Spacecraft.

The US Vice-President Mike Pence visited the Johnson Space Centre in Houston to announce and congratulate the new batch. Pence also said that President Trump is “fully committed” to NASA’s missions in space.

tribal farmers submitted more than 5,000 plant varieties in last three years (representational Image). Wikimedia

New Delhi, June 8, 2017: Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Wednesday said tribal farmers submitted more than 5,000 plant varieties in last three years through Krishi Vigyan Kendras for registration at the Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers Rights Authority.

It will play an important role in the development of climate resilient and sustainable varieties in future, he said at the National Workshop on Empowerment of Farmers of Tribal Areas here.

“New technological innovations in agriculture must reach to the fields of tribal areas but before taking such steps we must keep in mind the unique conditions of these areas, which are the gift of nature and therefore, we should promote natural farming in those areas,” he said, as per an official release. (IANS)

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